Sunlight Can Cut Your Risk of Death in Half

Having low vitamin D levels has been linked with deaths from heart disease and other causes, adding to growing evidence about the "sunshine" vitamin's role in good health.

People with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D were about two times more likely to die from any cause during an eight-year period than those with the highest levels. The link with heart-related deaths was particularly strong in those with low vitamin D levels.

The study involved over 3,000 men and women in southwest Germany. Participants were aged 62 on average, and their vitamin D levels were checked in weekly blood tests.

It’s estimated that at least 50 percent of older adults worldwide have low vitamin D levels, and a significant number of younger people may also be affected. Low vitamin D levels may result from spending less time outdoors, air pollution and a decline in your skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from the sun as you age, the researchers said.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

If you want to get in on one of the “hottest” trends for your health, take a break from your day and spend some time out in the sunshine. This simple action reduces your risk for so many diseases, I believe it is criminal for physicians not to recommend it.

To get the benefits of the sun, you need to expose a significant portion of your skin (shorts and no shirt for men, and shorts and a sports bra or short tank for women) to the sun for anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours a day. The length depends on your skin color (the darker your skin, the longer you need), how close you are to the equator, and the weather that day (if it’s cloudy, for instance).

My new book, Dark Deception, is coming out shortly and contains all the details you need to keep your vitamin D levels in a healthy range.

Last year, a groundbreaking study found that 600,000 cases of cancer could be prevented every year just by increasing your levels of vitamin D. Even beyond cancer, the researchers pointed out that increasing levels of vitamin D3 could prevent diseases that claim nearly 1 million lives throughout the world each year!

Why did you not hear about this amazing discovery?

Because large corporations can’t make any money from you getting out in the sun.

So now’s your chance to listen up. Optimizing your vitamin D levels could help you to prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers.

Further, optimal vitamin D levels are also known to positively influence the following conditions:

Because the benefits of optimizing your vitamin D levels are so profound, I urge everyone to get their levels tested. There is more than one vitamin D test, so be sure to ask for the 25(OH)D test, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

When you get your results, ignore the “normal” guidelines the lab sends. Instead, the OPTIMAL value that you’re looking for is 45-52 ng/ml (115-128 nmol/l).

Sunlight exposure (without getting burned) is always the best option to increase your vitamin D levels. For the winter months or other times when you simply can’t get outside, a vitamin D3 supplement can be used. If you go this latter route, be sure to monitor your vitamin D levels to avoid overdosing.

One final note, when you go outside to get your vitamin D make sure you don’t have sunscreen on. By its very nature, sunscreen blocks your body’s production of vitamin D. If you’re spending a long time outdoors, I recommend going for the first portion without any sunscreen, then covering up afterward with clothing, or applying a natural, non-toxic sunscreen, to avoid getting burned.

30 Tips in 30 Days! Start the Year Right With These Timeless Health TipsCan you improve your health in 30 days? You bet! Check out Dr. Mercola’s
All-Time Top 30 Health Tips Subscribe now to my FREE newsletter and get
access to these top 30 tips!

You will also get free access to more than 100,000 Mercola.com health articles and
a totally FREE subscription to my Natural Health newsletter. You can unsubscribe
at any time and I guarantee the privacy of your email.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.

If you want to use an article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.

If you want to use an article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.